Before Discord took over, this was the app everyone relied on

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Before Discord took over, this was the app everyone relied on

Regardless of whether you’re a gamer or not, there’s a very good chance that you’ve heard of or even used Discord. It’s an incredibly valuable piece of technology that allows friends from around the globe to communicate via text chat or voice calls. But before the reign of Discord happened, there was another app that offered something similar, surpassing it in many of the most important ways possible.

While TeamSpeak may not be as popular as it once was, there are still several reasons why you should consider trying to convince your friends to migrate from one platform to another. It’s going to be a long, arduous battle, but in the end? It may be the best thing that you and your squad have ever done.

TeamSpeak’s voice quality is second to none

Discord may use Krisp, but it can’t beat TeamSpeak

TeamSpeak Voice Detection and other settings available in the app — Teamspeak

Depending on the type of game you’re playing or the activity that you’re partaking in, a small amount of audio delay could change the outcome of a dicey situation. Rather than depending on a centralized server, TeamSpeak users can create or rent a specialized server to ensure that they’ve got the best quality audio and the least latency possible.

For Milsim, MOBA, or even MMOs, creating a specialized server could be the greatest thing that’s ever happened for you. Pair that with something like NVIDIA Broadcast, and you’ll be in business.

If you’re interested in making this happen, TeamSpeak has you covered. Not only do they supply specialized software to create your own server, but they also walk you through each step of making it happen. Or, if you’re not feeling up to purchasing a secondary PC or creating a server to make this happen, renting one can deliver the same effect. Incredibly low latency, fantastic audio quality, and more await eager tinkerers.

Privacy is an important feature of TeamSpeak

The team has no access to your chats or calls

TeamSpeak Privacy settings in the app — TeamSpeak

While neither TeamSpeak nor Discord offers true End-to-End encryption, everything you post on Discord can be seen or read by moderators, members of the Discord team, or anyone in between. On the other side of the coin, TeamSpeak offers “Military-Grade” security and does not actively moderate chats. TeamSpeak chats, both audio and text, use TS3 encryption to ensure they are safe for everyone involved.

TeamSpeak also states on its webpage that they do not have access to your voice or text chat data, and there is no sign-up required to use the service. No other chat service on the web, outside Ventrilo, offers this type of security. Plus, Discord has been targeted with some fairly high-profile attacks in the past, whereas TeamSpeak doesn’t require any ID verification to use its program.

TeamSpeak is lightweight by design

CPU and RAM won’t go “brrrrr” here

While I don’t have the world’s most powerful PC by any means, I have a fairly decent build that I’ve put together myself over the years. No matter if I’m using the Discord app or the Discord web app, my RAM and CPU usage tend to go through the roof. At times, Discord can use over 2GB of RAM, especially if I’m playing a game on Steam while in a voice call. That’s wild, and the web app is no better, spiking my browser to unusually high levels.

TeamSpeak, on the other hand, typically uses less than 300 MB of RAM. It doesn’t cause my CPU usage to spike like wild, either, making more competitive-based games run smoother and with fewer issues. In a game like Counter-Strike 2, a single frametime spike caused by fluctuating RAM or CPU usage could be the end of you, especially in high-level gameplay.

Wireless microphone connected to a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

You don’t need an expensive microphone for meetings — you already own a great one

I stopped relying on budget mics after realizing the device I carry daily sounds far better than cheap alternatives.

Trying to get folks to migrate is going to be a challenge

Discord is the most used app for a reason, and I don’t see that changing

Teamspeak Connection Speed, showing voice and game connection speeds — Teamspeak

I’m always eager to try different applications, especially when I see how much something like a KMPS has changed how I tackle everyday work. But most of my friends? They’re integrated into the Discord ecosystem, and getting them to try something new is like pulling teeth. Sadly, I can guarantee a lot of people reading this are in the same boat. As much as we’d like to escape the grasp of a CPU and RAM-hungry program with lax security features, the ease of use and convenience make it hard to make the swap.

Discord is also fully integrated into consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, so the ease of jumping directly into a call via these platforms also makes it difficult to switch to TeamSpeak across the board. Sure, if you have a good pair of headphones that can connect to both 2.4Ghz and Bluetooth at the same time to use TeamSpeak on a different device, you could make it happen. But the ease of use is going to triumph over a more complicated setup more often than not.

TeamSpeak could be a great supplementary app

But maybe consider swapping if you value privacy and speed

Even if you don’t decide to ditch Discord in its entirety, using it as a secondary VoIP service is an excellent idea. A lot of people, myself included, have a lot of memories in their Discord channels, and they’re not willing to fully leave them behind. I can’t blame you in the slightest if you’re in a similar boat. But using Discord for chat and TeamSpeak for voice may be one of the best choices overall.

Privacy, voice clarity, and speed are the major reasons to make the switch. The improved UI definitely helps, as TeamSpeak has admittedly needed a makeover for a while. Now that it no longer looks like an ancient relic of yesteryear, maybe the proposition to move the squad to a new app may be a little more acceptable. You deserve to use the best software around, so give this one a try.